India releases first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems at COP17

India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems: what happened?

We often call grasslands and scrub “wasteland” because they have few trees. That is a mistake. These open systems shelter species found nowhere else and feed millions of herders’ animals. This guide tries to put them on the map.

• The guide covers geography, ecology, biodiversity and the communities and tribes of each ecosystem.
• It has sections on pastoralism, fire ecology and carbon sequestration.
• The Environment Minister said these areas have long been judged by the absence of trees.
• He recalled the Oran and gauchar commons protected by villages in Rajasthan.

What counts as an open natural ecosystem?

• Himalayan and Terai grasslands.
• The Thar and Banni, and the Deccan savannas.
• Rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, coastal ecosystems and deserts.
• They store substantial carbon in their soils and support pastoral, livestock and farm livelihoods.

What does the Constitution say?

• Article 48A (Directive Principle): the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.
• Grasslands and their wildlife fall within this duty, even where there are few trees.

Why do open ecosystems matter?

How can the guide help conservation?

1. Map ONEs and their extent
2. Recognise them as valuable, not wasteland
3. Assess land degradation with science
4. Plan restoration with local communities
5. Count progress towards LDN targets

Why does India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems matter?

What are the challenges in India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems?

• Grasslands and scrub are often labelled wasteland.
• They have long been judged by the absence of trees, not by what they hold.
• Land degradation assessment needs better science.
• Rangeland governance must involve herders.

What should be done next on India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems?

• Use the guide in land-use planning.
• Build people-centred rangeland governance.
• Improve land-degradation assessment with satellite data.
• Restore degraded ONEs towards LDN targets.

What can Prelims ask on India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems?

• UNCCD COP17: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2026).
• Guide to Grasslands and Other ONEs of India: first such guide.
• Oran and gauchar: village-protected commons recalled from Rajasthan.
• LDN: Land Degradation Neutrality.

How to write about India’s first guide to grasslands and open natural ecosystems in Mains

Practice question (15 marks, 250 words): Grasslands and other open natural ecosystems are often treated as wastelands. Discuss their ecological and economic value and the need for their conservation.

• Intro: guide launched at UNCCD COP17.
• Types of ONEs in India.
• Value: biodiversity, livelihoods, carbon, water.
• Threats: wasteland label, weak assessment of degradation.
• Way forward: science, communities, LDN, Art 48A.